Oliver Laxe’s Sirat, recipient of the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has officially been selected as Spain’s candidate for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.
The Spanish Film Academy confirmed the choice on Wednesday. Sirat was picked from a final shortlist of three titles, the other two being Carla Simón’s Romería and Sorda, directed by Eva Libertad.
Sirat tells the story of a father (played by Sergi López) and his son (Bruno Núñez Arjona) who arrive at a secluded rave in the mountains of southern Morocco.
They are searching for Mar, their daughter and sister, who vanished months earlier at one of these endless gatherings. As electronic music pulses around them, they distribute her photograph again and again, immersing themselves in a kind of freedom unfamiliar to them. Eventually, they choose to follow a group of ravers toward a final desert party, where they cling to the hope of finding her.
The cast features veteran actor López alongside Arjona, Richard Bellamy, Stefania Gadda and Joshua Liam Henderson.
An original Movistar Plus+ production, Sirat is made with the support of Filmes da Ermida, El Deseo, Uri Films, and 4a4 Productions.
The announcement was made by filmmaker Pablo Berger, last year’s Oscar nominee (Best Animated Feature) for Robot Dreams, alongside Fernando Méndez-Leite, president of the Spanish Film Academy.
Spain’s submission for the 2025 Oscars, Saturn Return by Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez, failed to advance to the shortlist.
The 98th Academy Awards (Oscars) takes place on 16 March 2026.
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Sirât, de Oliver Laxe, es la película elegida para representar a España en los Oscar 2026. pic.twitter.com/6e2bLo6nJq
— Academia de Cine (@Academiadecine) September 17, 2025
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